Friday Nights at OMCA with Oakland Rising
Live Music by Oakland Rising, Night on the Town with Alameda County Community Food Bank, DJ Set by FELA KUTCHii, Drag Storytime with Per Sia, and Gallery Chats
June 5 from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
This Friday Night at OMCA, Oakland Rising takes over the Garden Stage with a dynamic live set rooted in the city’s cultural legacy. Known for lush harmonies, original music, and soulful reinterpretations of classics, the collective brings together some of Oakland’s most exciting emerging voices in a celebration of collaboration and community.
Keeping the rhythm alive, FELA KUTCHii delivers a genre-fluid DJ set blending soulful grooves, global influences, and feel-good energy. Her sound invites guests on a vibrant journey designed to move both body and spirit, creating a shared sense of joy on the dance floor.
Throughout the evening, Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB) hosts Night on The Town, featuring interactive experiences for all ages that center community and food justice. From a hands-on art corner and game zone to resource-sharing and special activities, this lively space invites guests to connect and engage with meaningful local initiatives.
Families can also gather for a joyful Drag Storytime with Per Sia, reading The Rainbow Parade by Shane Jordan and Rick Hendrix. Through colorful storytelling and themes of acceptance and self-expression, this uplifting experience celebrates the power of community and inclusion.
Alongside an exceptional event experience, Friday Nights at OMCA also features Gallery Chats from 5:30–7:30 pm. Moving beyond the traditional museum tour, Gallery Chats invite visitors to engage in conversation, ask questions, and connect with OMCA facilitators who blend content expertise with lived experience to spark meaningful dialogue and new perspectives. Gallery Chat facilitators can be found in OMCA’s Great Hall Special Exhibitions and the Core Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences. Gallery Chats are included with Museum admission. Facilitators float between galleries throughout the night and can be seen wearing a blue “Let’s Chat” shirt.
Program Schedule:
5–8 pm ACCFB Night on The Town | Garden
5:15 pm Drag Storytime with Per Sia | Garden
5:30–7:30 pm Gallery Chats | All Galleries
6:30–7:30 pm Live Music by Oakland Rising | Garden Stage
6:45–8:45 pm DJ Set by FELA KUTCHii | Oak Street Plaza
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About Friday Nights:
The Town’s favorite block party, Friday Nights at OMCA, is back for the 2026 season, inviting the Bay to kick off the weekend with the crew—whether family, friends, or neighbors. From April–October, join us every Friday at 5 pm for a free evening of live music, interactive activities, Off the Grid food trucks, and, with a Museum ticket, exclusive late-night access to our galleries and special exhibitions.
Fuel your night with a rotating lineup of Off the Grid food trucks stationed along 10th Street between Oak and Fallon Streets, serving up bold flavors and local favorites. Inside, near the Koi Pond, purchase beer, wine, cocktails, and refreshing non-alcoholic options to sip while exploring. In the Garden, picnic tables, blankets, and a dazzling view of Lake Merritt welcome you to settle in with your meal. With games, engaging museum programs, and a vibrant community atmosphere, it’s the perfect setting for making memories marked with unmistakable Oakland energy, week after week.
OMCA also offers a $10 flat-rate parking in the OMCA Garage until 10 pm. Please note that outside alcohol is not permitted, and event details and performances are subject to change.
Accessibility
Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to providing programs that are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive of our community. Wheelchairs, sensory inclusive devices, and additional amenities are available for checkout on a first come, first served basis at the Ticketing Desk. To request other accommodations, like American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Spanish or another language interpreter, please email [email protected] at least three weeks before the event. Learn more about our accessibility options.
Performers
Off the Grid Food Truck Lineup
Performer BIOS
Oakland Rising is a collective of standout emerging artists from Oakland committed to sharing the stage, honoring the city’s rich cultural legacy, and channeling their energy into bringing light to this world. In the eighteen months since launching, they have performed at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, The Kennedy Center, The Mountain Winery, and more, supporting artists ranging from Rhiannon Giddens to Sheila E. Oakland Rising is led by three artists—August Lee Stevens, B DeVeaux, and Naima—who headline their own shows and write their own music. The band often features cameos from other rising artists from Oakland.
Rooted in Oakland, FELA KUTCHii is an award-winning DJ and soundscape curator, as well as the official DJ for Oakland Soul SC. Her work centering Black sonic traditions and radical joy grounds sound in memory, identity, and emotional connection. Through genre-fluid, intention-driven sets, she bridges time and space to cultivate community and move bodies and spirits.
San Francisco’s current Drag Laureate, Per Sia, is a first-generation Trans Mexican American drag artist raised in South Central Los Angeles, with drag roots in San Francisco’s Mission District. Her multidisciplinary practice spans performance, curation, television, and storytelling, presented in spaces ranging from local bars to major museums, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Oakland Museum of California. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, she is a co-founder of Drag Story Hour and an educator with Children’s After School Arts, with work featured on KQED Arts, National Public Radio, and CNN.
Alameda County Community Food Bank’s mission is to partner with the community to end hunger and its root causes. They believe that food is a basic human right and envision an Alameda County where all people are nourished and thriving. They are committed to providing food with dignity and choice right now, while also working to re-imagine the system that has created food insecurity in the first place.
Sponsors
Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid is sponsored by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board and Bank of America. Additional support provided by OAKLAND ROOTS AND SOUL SC, Donahue Fitzgerald LLP, and Townsend Public Affairs.
